Share This Story!

Cuba-U.S. delegations begin talks in Havana

HAVANA – On the first day of historic talks between U.S. and Cuban officials, Jose Antonio Marero Perez went about his daily business: working as an accountant in the morning, spending the afternoon waiting in

Cuba-U.S. delegations begin talks in Havana

Josefina Vidal, Cuban Foreign Ministry director for North America, sits down for the start of historic talks between the U.S. and Cuba at the Palacio de las Convenciones de La Habana on Jan. 21, 2015, in Havana.(Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images)

HAVANA — On the first day of historic talks between U.S. and Cuban officials, Jose Antonio Marero Perez went about his daily business: working as an accountant in the morning and spending the afternoon waiting in line to buy credit for his cellphone.

But his mind was keen on the meetings that started Wednesday. Perez, 62, has followed the news closely since the dual announcements Dec. 17 by President Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro that the two countries were restoring diplomatic ties.

"It's the best thing that could happen to us," said Perez, of the Buena Vista section of Havana. "First they start talking. Then it's time to end the economic embargo."

The talks between U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson, the top U.S. diplomat for Latin America, and her Cuban counterpart — Josefina Vidal, head of the Foreign Ministry´s North American affairs division — are the first in 38 years involving a U.S. official of that rank.

Wednesday's meetings focused on migration and on Thursday switch to diplomatic ties, according to a senior State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the talks.

The U.S. delegation wants to discuss reopening the waterfront U.S. Embassy in Havana, accrediting U.S. diplomats in Cuba and allowing access to the island, according to the official. It was lesser known what their Cuban counterparts were going to bring to the table or how well they would receive the U.S. agenda and pace of change.

The official said the U.S. is willing to accelerate the pace of improving diplomatic ties, but that will depend on the Cuban government's tolerance for changes.

A senior Cuban official cautioned, however, that restoring diplomatic ties with the U.S. would not immediately lead to a full relationship between the Cold War foes after a half-century of enmity, the Associated Press reported. The message appeared designed to lower expectations.

The United States said Wednesday it dispatched additional ships to the Florida Straits to halt Cuban migrants after reporting a spike in the number of rafters attempting to reach Florida after the Dec. 17 announcement that the two countries would move to normalize ties.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson issued a statement saying additional Coast Guard cutters were deployed to stop Cuban and Haitian migrants from reaching the United States by boat. America's "wet foot, dry foot" approach, which generally shields Cubans from deportation if they touch U.S. land, remains in effect, Johnson said. He stressed that those trying to come by sea would most likely be interdicted and returned."

Cuba wants a normal relationship with the U.S., in the broadest sense but also in the area of migration," said Cuba Vidal. She called for the U.S. to end "exceptional treatment that no other citizens in the world receive, causing an irregular situation in the flow of migrants."

American officials instead pressed Cuba to take back tens of thousands of its nationals whom U.S. authorities want to deport because they have been convicted of crimes. No progress was made on that issue, an official at the meeting told AP. The official wasn't authorized to speak on the matter and demanded anonymity.

In his State of the Union Address on Tuesday, Obama called on Congress to end the five-decades-old embargo on the communist island. A guest of the Obamas in the audience was Alan Gross, the U.S. contractor freed from a Cuban prison in exchange for Cuban prisoners in the United States — a move that jump-started the renewed ties.

"Our change in policy toward Cuba has the potential to wipe out a legacy of distrust in the hemisphere, remove false excuses for restrictions in Cuba, defend democratic values and extend the hand of friendship to the Cuban people," Obama said in his speech.

Across the Cuban capital, increased engagement between the two countries can't come quick enough. Many hope that increased ties will bring more U.S. products and people to the island, improve their economic outlook and better their lives.

Jose Jasán Nieves Cárdenas, an independent journalist in Havana, said the Cuban public is tuned to the meetings and follow each step closely. There's angst that U.S. laws benefiting Cubans reaching the mainland might be altered, but overall people are applauding the moves.

"The people are very dialed in," he said. "They feel these meetings will affect them directly."

Joana Ramirez, 28, a Havana waitress, said she looks forward to interacting with more Americans and having their intellectual influence on the island. She also hopes the increased ties will bring something that has daunted Cuba for years — better Internet connections.

"Cuba is changing," said Ramirez, who has followed news of the meetings on state-run media newscasts. "I don´t understand the whole political process, but this could only better our situation."

For Perez, this week's meetings are an important first step to greater economic freedom and, possibly, the chance to visit his daughter in Mexico.

"They'll be benefits to the city," he said. "And benefits to the people."